Apr 23, 2011 By Mark Redfern Coachella 2011

While backstage at the 2011 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Under the Radar‘s publisher/senior editor Mark Redfern conducted video interviews with some of the fest’s most noteworthy bands. Under the Radar caught up with British indie rockers Elbow—who’s newest album build a rocket boys! is available now—and waxed festivals and desert birdwatching.

Apr 22, 2011 By John Everhart Web Exclusive

Under the Radar caught up with comedian Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) to discuss his upcoming bluegrass festival, formative musical influences, and the karma he’ll never earn back from some of his segments on The Daily Show.

Apr 19, 2011 By Chris Tinkham Miles Heizer

16-year-old Miles Heizer plays the introverted, mature-minded Drew Holt on the NBC Tuesday-night drama Parenthood. Although Drew’s sister, Amber (played by Mae Whitman), is a novice singer-songwriter with a giant-sized Tegan and Sara poster on her wall, Under the Radar learned, while looking into the show’s occasional Tegan and Sara references, that Heizer is passionate about music and a fan of numerous indie-rock bands, with Beach House currently reigning supreme among them in his estimation. This writer spotted Heizer at a Lykke Li show in Los Angeles last month and struck up a conversation with him about music prior to the performance. With the season finale of Parenthood set to air tomorrow night, now seemed like a good time to find out more about Heizer, to continue the conversation about music, and to settle the mystery of the show’s Tegan and Sara connections.

Apr 15, 2011 By Matt Fink Danielson

As much as documentary filmmaker JL Aronson’s Danielson: A Famile Movie (Or, Make a Joyful Noise HERE) portrayed Danielson’s Daniel Smith as a tirelessly idiosyncratic artist who fearlessly lives and dies by his often inscrutable creative ideals, it ends on a bit of a down note. As someone who had always placed community at the center of his creative process, first playing music with his brothers and sisters in The Danielson Famile, then mixing in other friends and likeminded artists as Danielson, just how would Smith continue his constant conceptual reinventions when everyone around him kept moving on? Now, five years and one best-of compilation [2008’s Trying Heartz] since the release of Danielson’s critically-lauded Ships, Smith presents The Best of Gloucester County as his answer.

Apr 14, 2011 By Hays Davis Web Exclusive

Yann Tiersen couldn’t be happier with his latest album, Dust Lane. His sixth studio album and first for the Anti- label, the eight tracks offer a full-band sound that’s largely performed by Tiersen, and he provides plenty of room for his themes to evolve. It’s a record of remarkable breadth, at times resembling an upbeat Bad Seeds with cinematic scope or Tindersticks with a brighter pop aesthetic, though ultimately it stands simply as one of the more unique releases of the past twelve months.

Apr 06, 2011 By Frank Valish Web Exclusive

Reading Rainbow, the male-female lo-fi garage-rock duo, owes its name to the children’s television show where one-time Star Trek: The Next Generation actor LeVar Burton promotes reading to elementary school children. The Philadelphia-based band owes its sound more to the likes of popsmiths The Vaselines and current indie darlings Dum Dum Girls, with a pinch of good ol’ ‘60s melodies and harmonies thrown in for good measure.

Apr 05, 2011 By Frank Valish Web Exclusive

On the road promoting his recent solo album, Several Shades of Why, Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis took some time to open up about his career, his current solo shows, and why he really just wants to join The Eagles.

Mar 31, 2011 By Hays Davis Wire

If Wire’s chief goal had been to simply make a lasting impact they could have called it a day before the ’80s had even dawned. Even they might have been surprised to know how vital they would sound 35 years later.

Mar 31, 2011 By Laura Studarus Web Exclusive

Malin Dahlström (vocals) and Gustaf Karlöf (multi-instrumentalist) jokingly call themselves “melancholy and sad people.” However, one would be hard pressed to come to that conclusion listening to their music. The duo, who performs as Niki and The Dove, weave ambitious pop themes through ethereal, wide-screen soundscapes, creating a sound that’s as dark and mysterious as it is joyful. Since its formation in February of 2010, the band has already caught international ears, and recently signed to Sub Pop. The charming pair recently chatted with Under the Radar, filling us in on their belief in the power of the pop song, David Lynch look-alikes, and why we may never know the true identity of Niki or the Dove.